The Smartest Drying Solutions for The Industry

The SMARTEST drying solutions for the industry

The controls of Raute Smart drying process offer a fully automated drying solution to support high-capacity and quality veneer production without compromising safety through fire protection and reduction of fugitive emissions. "To us, the words 'smart drying' mean fully integrated drying, machine vision, moisture analyzing and grading processes, which are adjustable to meet mill-specific circumstances and individual needs" explains Jukka Horelli, Raute's Product Manager of Dry Veneer. For instance, the automatic misting system allows the drying process to be adapted to different raw materials. "The automatic misting system can be adjusted to wood species with low initial moisture content or to wood species demanding high humidity conditions. This is important as the correct and consistent moisture content of veneers is the basis for efficient gluing and pressing ", Horelli describes.

First-class veneer drying quality is ensured by precise speed control based on the drying temperature, the average final moisture content and the amount of re-dry veneers. The measured veneer data adjusts the dryer speed in real time. "The dryer's precise moisture meter MVA makes it possible to measure veneer moisture contents under 5 %. This was not possible before with the brush meters", tells Jani Roivainen, General Manager of Raute's Mecano Business Unit. Being able to measure even small moisture contents is important, as this enables keeping the optimal drying speed and ensuring high recovery rate of the veneer production. "The holy trinity of drying is achieved through the integration of MVA, the defect analyzer VDA and the dryer. The high-resolution VDA camera system identifies veneer defects and sorts veneers into specified quality grades without the need of labor", adds Roivainen.

During the process of softwood drying, volatile organic compound (VOC) gases emitted from the resin in the wood are extracted to the air. The VOCs take part in the formation of ozone in the lower atmosphere by reacting photo-chemically, causing environmental hazards. "We mitigate issues with VOCs with our drying system. The pressure control of the cooling section eliminates the flow of exhaust fumes to the factory hall, leading to a healthier working environment for the mill personnel", describes Horelli. The air-tight joint welding and door sealings with the isolated wall elements of the Smart dryer also minimize the amount of drying fumes to the mill floor. Raute provides catalytic technology for wood based VOC reduction applications, reducing up to 98 % of the VOC emissions.

"Safe working conditions through automated process controls are one of the biggest benefits of Raute Smart drying", tells Jarkko Kaislaoja, Raute Technology Manager of Dry Veneer Handling. The VdS and FM Global approved Minimax fire detection components can minimize or even eliminate the risk of production losses due to fire. "Special infrared sensors are connected to the fire control panel, detecting possible sparks and flames ", explains Kaislaoja. The fire detection alarms dryer operators and the fire brigade of fire. With the integrated fire detection, and dryer controls, it is possible to use the dryer misting as preventative fire suppression. "Cleaning and repairing the damages caused by fire can roughly take anything between four to eight hours. Early fire detection is a definite cost saver", Kaislaoja concludes.